Conduit outlet-box.



N0- 826.09 PATENTED JULY 17, 1906. A. FRANTZEN & W. H. RATTENBURY.

GONDUIT OUTLET BOX APPLI-O ATIO N FILED MAR. 24,1903.

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PATEN'IjED JULY 17, 190 6 A. FRANTZEN & W. H. RATTBNBURY.

CONDUIT OUTLET BOX. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1903.

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ARTHUR FRANTZEN AND WILLIAM H. RATTENBURY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONDUIT OUTLET-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1 906.

Application filed March 24,1903. Serial No. 149,308.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that we, ARTHUR FRANTZEN' and WILLIAM H. RATT NBURY, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conduit Outlet-Boxes, of which the following isaspecification.

outlet. connections for buried or hidden electric wires under floors and in walls, but is Our invention relates particularly to the out through same for attachments in the room; to provide an outlet/box which will be water-tig t and safe from causation of fire by contact of the ends of the wires therein; to-

provide a box which is easily accessible tore air the terminals therein, &c., and is conven- Iently formed to place under the fio'or or partition inposition for future use; to provide an electrical box which is adjustable in position so that it need not be accurately set with relation to the floor line; to provide an outlet box which is=readily attachable either to the floor or ceiling or wall of the building, and may befixed in place therein; and to provide an outlet for the wires which insures their insulation and leads them out of the floors in such a position as to be protected so as not to be broken off or marred by blows upon the outlet support.

These objects, together with other advantages which will hereinafter appear, we attain b the construction and assembly of parts as iliilstrated inpreierred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fi ure 1 is a central vertical section through the door and one of our boxes placed therein for future use and hidden from sight.

' Figure 2 is'a vertical central section'ot the box as it is arranged for use, showing the neck outlet holes for the. wires.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the outlet tube or neck to the box. V

Figure 1 is a partial plan view of the box shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 5 illustrates the mode of attaching the box to the ceiling and supporting it by a plate screwed to the ceiling, so that it may 'be adjustable with respect to the ceiling line, the same showing also its use for both floor and ceiling outlets atpnce.

One of the difficulties experienced in arranging this class of devices is to get the top of the outlet box in proper position with relation to the floor line; and for this purpose various devices have been made in which the box is in two parts which are adjustable with be raised and lowered. And It has been the general custom to provide the top of the box with a fixed outlet pipe to lead the wires from the fioor' into the room, andthese cannot be placed before laying the fiootn. It will be respect to each other whereby the top may seen that we provide a device in which these difficulties are overcome by having the top of the box fixed and the box itself adjustable tube adjustable in the top of the box and the plate.

In he accompanying drawings we have shown in Fig. 1 the way in which the box is ordinarily buried under the floor and marked for future use. The box proper, marked 6, has its top 7, screwed therein and made water-tight,=and receptacle supports 10 therein.

, In its top it has a square. hub 8, for convenience in screwing the top on, and has a screw plug 9, which may be provided with asharp pro ection 12, in orderthat the position under the floor f, may be marked. This is done by first placing the box in its desired position, then fitting the floor plank over it in the position in'which it is to go down and striking such plank immediately over the box. The spring of the wood causes the projection 12 to mark the under side of the plank. The plank can then be turned upside down and a small hole bored at the point of marking. This hole is subsequently fitted with a mark screw 13. v

In Fig. 2 we have shown the box as prepared ready for use. The bushing or hub 8, is screwthreaded, and into this We insert a 5 short pipe 15, adjustable in vertical position sides, a-small outlet nipple 17; and it may have disposed centrally of its interior a nonwith relationto the floor plate, and the outlet top with a cap 16 and has on one side or both '14, to take the protecting pipe leading the kill '. -As shown in Fig. 5, the outlet box isar-v itself with relation to the monreceptacle 2-1 or any other device desired for arrangin the electric terminals. The box is provide with a series of openings main conduits to the box.

Figure 4 shows a plan iew of the box in Fig. 1, or the bottom of the box as in Fig. 5 I with the outlet tube 15 removed and the plug 9, inserted in its place.

ranged in the ceiling c. In this case, when desired, the box may be su ported u on the plate 19 by screws 22; it eing un erstood that the box is adjustable in vertical position with relation-to the plate 19, by. means of the screw threads u on the neck 15, as before described. The ox being between ceiling c and floor f,b0th outlet tubes 15 and 15 may be used at once.

It will be seen that by this arrangement we avoid the necessity of cutting out any ver accurately fitting o ening in the floor, and also the necessity o ad'usting the box oor line before putting down the fioor, and also that it is unnecessary to have the box made in, two adjustable parts. The box then can be made perfectly water-tight and still adjustable for all necessary purposes, while the outlet tube 15 or 15 is rigid with the box and yet adjustable with relation thereto and with relation to the floor or ceiling plate. This box may be conveniently set in either thefioor or the wall or the ceiling, as desired. In case outlets are to be made both through the floor and through-the ceiling of the room below, the box may conveniently be arranged as shown in Fig. 5 with the floor outlet 15 in serted in the inverted bottom of the box, just as in Fig. 2 it is placed in the cover, and in the box cover, now inverted, may be placed a similar outlet tube 15; this may if desired be the shank of a chandelier suspended from the ceiling. In case it is desired tosupport the box from the flooring above, rather than the ceiling below, the box will of course be laced in upright position, as in Fig, 2. Te su ports 10, being placed near the middle of t e box, the receptacle 21 is supported thereon indiflerently in either position. I

lhe invertibility of this device enables it to be placed in any desired osition and to serve two rooms at once, while theadjusta bility of the outlet tubes and the supporting late with respect to the box'renders the adjustment easy, while at the same time avoidmg the necessity of the arts of the box being made adjustable and a ows the cover or'cap t v e top of the box.

of the box to be fixed in position, and it can therefore be made water tight without any packing when desired, as well as very much cheapening. the construction. The many other advantages of the device will be readily ap arent to those familiar with their use.

aving thus described our invention and illustrated its use, what we claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. A conduit outlet box comprising a body portion anda cover fixedly screwed in place therein, and an outlet tube threaded in the top of said box and adjustable in position therein, a floor plateand means to fasten and seal said' tube at various ositions in the floor plate, substantially as escribed.

' 2. A lconduit outlet box having a fixed a floor plate adjustable on the neck.

3. A conduit outlet box provided with screw sockets at, both top, and bottom, in combination with anoutlet-tube engagingone of fit the other socket.

' 4. A conduit outlet box screw sockets in both top an bottom, combined with a screw-threaded tube in one of said sockets, and a supporting plate adjustable in position on said tube.

5. A conduit outlet box provided with a 'screw socket in its top, an outlet tube threadfrom the wall near the middle of said box to su port a receptacle in the box in-either uprig t or inverted position,'substantially as described.

6. The'combination of a conduit outlet box having screw sockets in both top and bottom, threaded outlet tubes in said sockets and a supporting plate adjustable in position upon one of said outlet tubes, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A conduit outlet box having a fixed cover, a receptacle support therein, outlet tubes adjustably screwed 'into both top and bottomof the box and support or attaching plates adjustable upon one of said tubes.

8. An butlet box provided with means for marking its position under the 'fiooring, comrising an adjustable plug in the cap of the box provided with a sharpened point thereon.

9. Anelectrical conduit outlet box having a fixed cover, a receptacle support projecting from the side, a threaded tube screwed in the cover, and. carrying a floor u on saidscrew threads an with relation to 10. An electric conduit box having a fixrovided with late adjustable cover, an outlet neck adjustable therein, and v the sockets, said tube being adapted also to I edly closed top thereon provided with an outlet tube, in combination with a floor plate and an adjustable connection between the 'iioor plate and the top of the box by which to adjust the position of the box with respect to the floor boards, substantially as described.

11. An electric conduit outlet box having "In testimony whereof We have herellllto set our hands in the presence of the sub 10 scribed Witnesses.

a closed top, combined with a floor plate separate from thebox and an outlet tub adj-ustably screwed into the box tdp and said plate.

12; A conduit outlet box having a tight ARTHUR FRANTZEN. fitting top with an openingtherein, an outlet W WILLIAM H. RAT TENBURY.

4 itnesses:

tube screwed intothe b lfiening, and afloor platescrewed 6n said oi lt et tube-and ha ing PAUL CARiENTER, means to lock 11; 111 place the 'eon.

EDWARD C. BURNS. 

